No one left behind
by silvermoongirl10
Summary: On the way to work Colby and David come across a burning house and rush to help, but David has to wrestle with the feelings of failing Colby again.


**A/N this is my first Numb3rs story so please go easy on me!**

Colby and David were on their way to work, circumstances meant that David had had to pick up Colby from his apartment.

"Remind me again why I've had to leave twenty minutes earlier than usual to pick you up?" demanded David,

"I already told you, I forgot to fill my car up with gas and last night when I went to buy some groceries my car wouldn't start and I saw the light said it was empty on gas"

"You know for someone who's smart you are sometimes an idiot"

"Thanks, not only have I not had my morning coffee and my car being empty on gas. I have you complaining _loudly_ about the injustice of doing something for your partner and best friend as it means you had to leave twenty minutes earlier"

"On a day when we didn't have to get up at some unearthly hour!"

Colby just smirked and shook his head, knowing as David also hadn't had his morning coffee he was going to be a pain to be around, so just decided to let David's last comment go.

"Don't give me that look!" exclaimed David catching Colby's smirk from the corner of his eye,

"What look?!"

"The look that-"

David was suddenly interrupted by a house in front of them burst into flames. David screeched the car to a stop; Colby was out the car before it had come to a complete stop with David not far behind.

As they ran to the house Colby turned to David and asked "Do you smell that?"

"Yeah. Gas" replied David, silently coming to the conclusion that maybe a gas pipe had a malfunction and exploded.

They came to a stop and a neighbour ran up to them shouting "my neighbour Kali was in her house when it exploded!"

Colby ran towards the house calling over his shoulder "call 911!" and he and David kicked their way into the house. The dank smell of smoke soon became the only thing they could smell and the heat was almost unbearable, the fire had engulfed the stairs and the living room and was spreading fast towards the hall; they spotted Kali huddled in the hall crying. Colby reached her first and helped her up saying "we're FBI and we're gonna get you out of here"

"I don't know what happened!" coughed Kali in panic looking wildly around her,

"Is there anyone else here?" asked David as he guided Kali towards the front door with Colby a couple of steps behind him when they heard a loud creaking sound. Colby and David looked up and could only dive out of the way as part of the ceiling collapsed into the hall, blocking Colby's path to the front door. David stood up and could only look on in shock as he saw Colby on the other side of the debris and fire.

David pushed Kali to the door where her neighbour was waiting, David ran back to the collapsed ceiling.

"David you've got to get out of here!" yelled Colby,

"I'm not leaving you here!" shouted David,

Colby coughed then bellowed "DAVID GET OUT!"

"Colby-"

"Look the path to the kitchen is clear, I'm gonna go there, David just GET OUT!"

"OK! But I'm gonna head straight to the back, because I'm not leaving you behind!"

"You won't because I'm getting out right now!" And then Colby turned and ran to the door that led to the kitchen, he turned around to make sure David had left before entering the kitchen.

David jogged out the front door to see the fire department arrive, but ignored them running around to the gate that led to the backyard where he knew Colby would be coming from. But he was knocked back by another explosion. David slowly pulled himself up and was about to run to the gate when a fireman held him back.

"My partners in there!"

"I can't let you go in there!" insisted the fireman, as he held David's arms behind him while trying to ease David's struggles but David was thrashing around trying to shake the fireman loose not taking his eyes away from the gate to the backyard willing for Colby to come out uninjured saying he was fine, but that wasn't happening.

"COLBY!" hollered David,

"Listen to me!" said the fireman sharply, "I'm sorry but if your friend was in there when it blew then there's no way he's walking out"

David sagged in the fireman's arms whispering "I'm so sorry Colby", he'd failed his best friend again, David suddenly had a vision of walking around to the backyard and finding Colby lying on the floor not breathing, and this brought on a flashback of finding Colby on the Chinese freighter.

Then the gate creaked open and out staggered Colby, leaning against the gate coughing and trying to draw in enough breath. David was the first to react and ran over to Colby just as Colby's knees buckled.

David caught him and pulled him away from the burning house saying "its ok I got you"

Colby looked up with a soot covered face at David and nodded being unable to speak, David rubbed Colby's back to try and help him get a rhyme to breathe easier. Colby looked up and saw a rush of emotions flash through David's eyes and decided he didn't like to see any of those looks pass over his friend's face.

"What's up" coughed Colby,

"Don't talk" ordered David, Colby nudged him letting David know that Colby still wanted an answer. "Thought I'd lost you"

"Not gonna happen"

"This is the second time I thought you had died"

"Was out of the kitchen… was halfway to the gate then got thrown to the ground… took a little while to get… my bearings" said Colby between coughs. Soon a pair of EMTs came over and started to check over the partners.

####

Two hours later after being released from the E.R for mild smoke inhalation for David and Colby also a mild concussion for Colby after being knocked to the ground they headed back to David's apartment after Don gave them the rest of the day off and as long as on case came up they could have the next day off as well.

They entered David's apartment and Colby flopped down onto the couch every now and then coughing.

"Sure you shouldn't have stayed at the hospital?" asked David as he sat in the chair next to the couch watching Colby as he tried to make himself comfortable.

"I'm fine"

"I didn't ask if you were" replied David,

Colby sighed "they couldn't do anything else and just told me to rest and seeing as that's what I am doing there's no need for me to stay at the hospital"

David nodded and turned the T.V on and while the film was on he kept an eye on Colby who tried to stifle his coughs, after half an hour David realized Colby had been silent for about five minutes and worriedly turned around in the chair to face Colby to see his friend asleep. David smiled as he stood up and took Colby's shoes off and stretched Colby out on the couch placing a blanket over him, all the while being thankful that Colby was a deep sleeper.

David went to get a drink, but before he did he placed a hand on Colby's shoulder murmuring "I'm glad you're ok, you gotta know that it was hard for me to leave you in that building. Just so we're clear I'm never leaving you behind like that again because there is no way I want to have to go through the feeling of thinking I've failed you and that you've run out of luck".

David walked away and missed the mumbled reply Colby gave him "I'm like a cat with nine lives, only I've got seven left. Not leaving you behind anytime soon".


End file.
